He could keep admiring his brand new Calder Cup ring, earned with the Norfolk Admirals last season, or he could sleep. Since Barberio and his team were coming off a three games in three days stretch, he figured rest was a better option.

But the hardware remained nearby.

“I’m surprised I didn’t fall asleep with it on last night,” Barberio said Tuesday. “It’s pretty special. As soon as you see it and put it on your finger, it reminds you of all the great memories of last year.”

Barberio and 22 other teammates from Norfolk — 14 of whom also now play for Syracuse — had perhaps their final chance to replay those misty moments together. Tampa Bay threw a Crunch team party for them in Syracuse on Monday to hand out their AHL championship rings from the 2011-12 season.

Of the 25 players who earned hardware, only forward Alexandre Picard and goalie Jaroslav Janus, both of whom play overseas, were not in attendance. Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman stopped in to help orchestrate the reunion.

The normally robust type of championship celebration was held in stealth mode, with no public component typically associated with such events. In a move that had been in the works for much of last season, Tampa Bay switched its affiliate from Norfolk to Syracuse last summer and the Lightning considered any further open acknowledgement of the ring party to be another tweak to its former host.

“We’re trying to keep it on the down-low a bit,” said Lightning assistant GM Julien BriseBois. “We had a nice little party. I don’t want to get into many details. It looked like a team party except we handed out rings.”

BriseBois did confirm that the baubles were designed by front office officials from Tampa Bay and Norfolk, as well as players. They are made of white gold and include .12 carats of diamonds.

Engravings on the ring include players names and numbers, a nod to the team’s 28-game winning streak, its anthemic song, “We are Young,” and a listing of Norfolk’s four playoff series wins.

“We wanted to take everything that was special to us last year,” said Norfolk and Crunch captain Mike Angelidis. “Every part of the ring has something special to us. We wanted a reminder of what we accomplished.”

Crunch coach Jon Cooper said Tampa Bay contacted the organizations of former Admirals players for permission to bring them in for the party. Yzerman, Cooper and Angelidis made brief remarks, and the team soaked in the drama of a video review of last year’s highlights.

“Hockey is a game where you play with guys and end up being life-long friends,” Angelidis said. “It was emotional, the fact that everybody came. We didn’t think everyone was going to show, who could.”
The players transitioning from Norfolk to the Crunch milked the memories one more time, then quickly returned to the present challenge of making new ones in Syracuse.

“It was a good night. It was closure to the book. Now, a new sequel starts,” said Cooper, whose team is tied for the Eastern Conference lead with 28 points.

“We have to build something new. That’s why last night was good, too. We let go of whatever we did,” said Syracuse defenseman J.P. Cote. “It (a championship) is a nice thing to remember, but there’s nothing like living it. It (a ring) is attached to a lot of good memories, but it’s only a piece of jewelry. It’s a reminder you want to win one again.”